Suns officially hire Jeff Hornacek as head coach

Former Suns guard Jeff Hornacek, who played with the team from 1986 to 1992, was hired Tuesday morning to take over for interim head coach Lindsey Hunter.

“We are thrilled to introduce Jeff Hornacek as the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” said Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough. “Jeff has all of the qualities we were looking for in a head coach — he is a leader, a teacher and a student of the game. Jeff’s name has been high on our list ever since my first interview with the Suns. His successes as a player and as an assistant coach, along with his deep ties to this franchise and this community, give us confidence that he will do great things as the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns.”

Hornacek, a former walk-on at Iowa State, was a second-round draft pick of the Suns in 1986. The 6-foot-4 guard became a starter in his second season, and cemented himself in that role over the next five years.

In 1991-92, Hornacek averaged a career-high 20.1 points and played in the All-Star Game for the only time in his career.

During that offseason, he was traded along with forward Tim Perry and center Andrew Lang to the Philadelphia 76ers for forward Charles Barkley.

After a year and a half in Philadelphia, Hornacek was traded to Utah, where he became a key cog in their run to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998.

Hornacek retired from the NBA following the 1999-2000 season and joined the Jazz coaching staff in 2007 as a shooting coach. He became a full-time assistant under head coach Tyrone Corbin.

The Suns will introduce their new head coach at a press conference at US Airways Center Tuesday morning.